


Magical Theory 110: an Anecdotal Supplement

by omaidoggo



Series: The Valhalla Academy AU [4]
Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Crack, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, References to Norse Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:54:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27295990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omaidoggo/pseuds/omaidoggo
Summary: Sure, the way to receive the Valkyrie's magical Gifts is sad, violent, and often enough to warrant some therapy, but hey, that doesn't mean fun things can't come out of it!A series of anecdotes and notes from Introductory Magical Theory to get accustomed to the world of the Einherjar, and maybe have a break from all the angst.
Relationships: Son Dongju | Xion & Everyone, Son Dongju | Xion & ONEUS Ensemble
Series: The Valhalla Academy AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880152
Kudos: 4





	Magical Theory 110: an Anecdotal Supplement

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for checking this out! Have a collection of fluff to balance out all the angst, as well as a proper, worldbuilding index thingy-ma-jig

_ Introductory Magical Theory _

_ Table of Contents _

_ 1 Introduction to Magic _

_ 1.1 Types of Magic _

_ 1.2 Gifts _

_ 1.3 Runes _

_ 1.4 Seidr _

_ 2 Gifts _

_ 2.1 Basic Properties of Gifts _

_ 2.2 Categories of Gifts _

_ 2.3 Informational Gifts (Gifts of the Mind) _

_ 2.4 Transportational Gifts (Gifts of the Body) _

_ 2.5 Environmental Gifts (Gifts of the World) _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ Section 2.3: Informational Gifts (Gifts of the Mind) _

_ Informational Gifts (informally referred to as Gifts of the Mind) constitute the three following Gifts: Perception, Illusion, and Discernment. As the category suggests, these Gifts deal with the gathering and manipulation of information. _

“What’s wrong with Youngjo?”

Keonhee and Hwanwoong quickly shoved Dongju out the door, fingers on their lips as he attempted to protest the sudden, rough-housing he was given. Hwanwoong closed the door behind him -- and just like that Dongju was being dragged far and away from the dorm.

“So much for a peaceful breakfast…” Dongju mumbled.

“It would’ve gotten a lot more…  _ less peaceful _ if you woke him up!” Keonhee cried in return. By the time his hyung stopped shoving him around, they were already up the hill that led back to campus. Dongju squinted at them.

“What?”

“Ahhhh I don’t wanna think about it.”

“Keonhee stop overreacting, you’re gonna scare our maknae!”

“That’s rich,” Dongju scoffed, “you  _ both _ shoved me out of the dorm!”

Hwanwoong put a hand to his chest, mouth agape like he was offended or something.

“Excuse me, do you see me screaming about Youngjo-hyung? Look, who am I? ‘AAAHHH! MOM COME GET ME!’”

“I am  _ not _ like that!”

“You obviously haven’t seen yourself then,” Hwanwoong retorted. “Movie night?”

“Seoho chose a horror movie!”

“First off, Geonhak made him choose a different movie, and secondly, it was an action movie!”

“Can someone just explain what’s going on?”

Hwanwoong and Keonhee stopped arguing just long enough for whatever tension between them to die down, and maybe the fear behind the topic to go away too. Dongju rubbed his temples, sighing.

“Really though, anyone?”

“Well,” Keonhee started, rubbing his neck, “you know how Youngjo and Hyungu both kinda have Perception?”

“Yeah.” Dongju raised an eyebrow. “Go on?”

“And you know how Perception is Hyungu’s  _ only _ Gift?”

“ _ Go on. _ ”

“What Keonhee’s trying to say is,” Hwanwoong butt in, “when Hyungu starts freaking out,  _ everyone _ starts freaking out.”

“That still doesn’t explain-” Dongju huffed. “You know, fine, whatever. I’ll figure it out.”

_ 2.3.1 Perception _

_ Perception can generally be summarized as mind reading, however, Perception entails much more than simply hearing the thoughts of others. Perception, when used to the fullest extent, literally puts the user -- a Perceiver -- in the mind and body of their target, though they are unable to manipulate their target’s thoughts or actions. _

The three sat on the grassy hill overlooking the Bifrost Dorms, not really doing anything. Dongju didn’t really know what they were all waiting for, but the silence in the wind and the sun on his cheek was better than... whatever was going on between everyone else. Even then, it didn’t dissipate the nervousness humming between his hyungs, and that more than anything else concerned him.

His phone buzzed. From the look on Hwanwoong and Keonhee’s face, theirs had too. The three looked at each other before pulling out their phones to check the group chat.

_ Seoho-hyung: _

_ You can come back now. _

Hwanwoong and Keonhee scrambled down the hill, and Dongju followed soon after, though not quite as  _ enthusiastic _ as the others. He peeked through the doorframe into the living room to find everyone gathered around Youngjo -- Geonhak and Seoho at his sides and Hwanwoong and Keonhee on the ground in front of him, sitting like kids excited for a story or something. Dongju quietly slipped in.

“There was this dingy apartment, and… I just collapsed,” Youngjo muttered. “ _ He _ collapsed.”

“What’s this?”

“Ah, Dongju, you’re finally here,” Hwanwoong teased. Keonhee patted the spot on the ground next to him, which he took as a sign to sit down and join. He turned to Youngjo-

Oh.

“I think he just died.”

And from the looks of it, it looked like Youngjo just died too. He laughed, strained in the throat, and Dongju felt his heart clench.

“Ah, yeah, anyway, I’ll have to talk to Hyungu about this. Don’t worry about me too much, alright?”

This, of course, did not stop Dongju from worrying -- and as soon as Seoho and Geonhak escorted Youngjo back to their room, he was out the dorm and knocking on the door to Dongmyeong’s own. It creaked open, a slightly disheveled Dongmyeong behind it. He blinked.

“What?”

“Youngjo-hyung-”

“Was he being greasy again?” Dongmyeong mumbled.

“No,” Dongju said, “But he was acting weird-”

“Alright alright, come in.”

“You could at least let me finish my sentences,” Dongju huffed, walking into the dorm that wasn’t so different from his. Dongmyeong rolled his eyes and pointed at the couch.

“Just sit down.”

He did as he was told as Dongmyeong plopped down next to him with a sigh. He raised an eyebrow.

“What happened to you?”

“Hyungu had a fit,” Dongmyeong grumbled, stretching his arms and sighing. “Nevermind, you came to me first -- what happened?”

Dongju relayed the events of the morning -- Youngjo standing in the middle of the living room, still as a statue, staring blankly into the wall; Hwanwoong and Keonhee freaking out; the end of Youngjo’s ominous story, how his hyungs practically carried him to their room. Dongmyeong’s tired eyes widened at every detail, and by the end of the retelling they were alight with realization.

“Hyungu saw the same thing.”

“What?”

“He was doing the same thing,” Dongmyeong sputtered out, “and he was, like, groaning and saying stuff like ‘I’m fine, I’ve gotta get to work,” and then he just suddenly fainted!”

He shivered.

“Seriously, it was so scary.”

“Where’s Hyungu now?”

“In his room,” Dongmyeong said, tilting his head toward the hallway.

“Resting?”

“I guess? I mean, who wouldn’t be after  _ that _ .”

They both leaned back into the couch, mulling over whatever the hell happened to their leaders (“I’m not really the leader!” he could hear Youngjo insisting). Just what had they seen? Who had died? How’d they die?

Well, if it was important enough, they’d tell them what was going on -- right?

_ 2.3.1 (con’t) _

_ While Perception often requires a conscious effort to use, strong emotions can draw out the power involuntarily. When multiple Perceivers are gathered together, any disturbance in the emotional landscape can cause a rippling effect that draws out their power simultaneously and channels it towards a single event or target. _

_ Myeongie: _

_ JU _

_ COME OVER _

_ RIGHT NOW _

_ wtf _

_ why are you so loud _

_ Myeongie: _

_ first off dont act like ur not loud _

_ second IT’S IMPORTANT _

Myeongie:

_ hey bastard _

_ are u just gonna ignore me? _

_ GET OVER HERE _

_ fine geez i’m omw _

Dongju and Dongmyeong, Giwook and Harin peered over the table. Hyungu folded his arms.

“What do you think? Actually, don’t. I already know.”

“I was gonna say,” Harin chuckled, patting Hyungu’s shoulder. Dongju glanced up at Dongmyeong and Giwook, exchanged nervous looks, then turned back down. The papers spread over the table had everything they needed to know about a certain Jin Yonghoon, from date of birth to occupation, along with a stoic portrait that was unnerving for a reason Dongju couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Oh my, look!” Dongmyeong pointed at a field in the form. “He already completed his enlistment!”

“And graduated from college…” Giwook muttered. Dongju narrowed his eyes.

“Did I read his cause of death right?”

“Well what do you think it says?” Dongmyeong asked.

“Overwork?”

“A salaryman straight out of college, giving his all to some conglomerate.” Harin smiled, nudging Hyungu with his elbow. “You know what that means?”

Hyungu nodded solemnly.

“Another victim of capitalism.”

And Dongju had to keep himself from spitting all over the precious, Academy files.

Word spread quickly to Dongju’s team, as in Dongju ran back and told everyone about the new guy that’d be coming in a week even though they were in the middle of the semester which sounded like a perfectly shitty way to start -- but Hwanwoong gasped so loudly at his language that suddenly all his hyungs stopped listening and started tackling him for his social slight and he was pretty sure his sides were going to  _ explode _ from just laughing and screaming so loudly. He glared at Hwanwoong, only to be greeted by a smug look and his wiggling shoulders. Oh he was really gonna be in for it…

“Everyone,” Youngjo said over the clamoring, “you know what this calls for?”

Keonhee’s eyes lit up.

“Another welcome party!”

“And moving luggage…” Seoho sighed. Geonhak scoffed.

“You can literally _ move things with your mind _ .”

“Who says that isn’t tiring?”

“Me. My arms.”

“Yes, we all know you work out you sweaty muscle chick.”

“Hey listen here you-”

“Not in front of the maknae!” Keonhee cried, blinking behind Dongju and cupping his ears. Dongju yanked them off.

“Hey!”

“Guess we know where our baby’s been learning all this  _ naughty language _ .” Hwanwoong stuck his tongue out. Geonhak rolled his eyes while Seoho delicately flicked his fingers off his shoulders, and Youngjo sighed in such a longsuffering way, shaking his head.

“I love you all.”

“You better-” Youngjo pinched the air, and suddenly Hwanwoong’s lips were sealed shut while he continued.

“Seoho, you think you can get a cake?”

“Ah, I’ll place an order,” he replied, placing the last of Geonhak’s fingers back at his side before pulling out his phone. Youngjo nodded.

“What does everyone else want to do?”

“I’ll get snacks with Woong!” Keonhee said, waving his hand. Hwanwoong -- his lips still shut -- gave a thumbs up.

“I’ll pick up the cake with Seoho,” Geonhak sighed, putting his hands back on Seoho’s shoulders, much to the latter’s dismay. “Someone needs a flight home.”

“I can fly-”

“You can  _ float. _ There’s a difference”

“Whatever,” Seoho said. He waved his hand at Geonhak’s. “Shoo.”

“Dongju?”

“Me and Giwook already agreed to help move stuff and set up decorations,” Dongju replied. “I think Dongmyeong’s going out with Hyungu to get stuff for a special dish or something. Harin’s cooking. What’ll you be doing?”

“I’ll help you move,” Youngjo hummed. As if to demonstrate why, he let go of his fingers, and Hwanwoong took a great big, overly-dramatic breath of air.

“Finally! I can talk again!”

“Oh God.”

“I heard that, Dongdongie!”

“Alright, it’s decided!” Youngjo said, clapping his hands. “Mission: Welcome Jin Yonghoon is officially a go!”

_ 2.3.1 (con’t) _

_ Particularly strong Perceivers may also experience visions of the future as it pertains to their relationships with people. This implies a connection between Perception and Seidr (covered in Chapter 4), though the exact nature of this connection is unclear. _

Dongju made sure to get all of his homework out of the way (read: procrastinate) before Yonghoon’s arrival. Seoho and Geonhak were already picking up the cake, and after coordinating the food with Dongmyeong and Hyungu, Hwanwoong and Keonhee were off, leaving Dongju, Giwook, Harin, and Youngjo at the dorms to handle the luggage that had magically appeared outside the dorms that morning.

Which there pointedly wasn’t a lot of. Dongju picked up the backpack and narrowed his eyes. It was surprisingly light, with only a few things pooling and rolling around at the bottom. At least it’d make for a good prank.

“Wookie, help me,” he groaned, tensing his arms. Giwook snorted.

“Like that’d work.”

“Wow, thanks for ruining my fun,” Dongju pouted, slinging the backpack over his shoulder. Giwook shook his head, holding his hands together as he watched Youngjo levitate the two carry-ons inside through the door Harin held open. Harin leaned back, grinning.

“Hey hyung, wanna hang up all the decorations too?”

“Of course,”

“Woah, hold up, I didn’t actually mean it.” Harin laughed. “But I guess the young-uns might need help with the taller decorations.”

“Hey!” they cried at the same time, and Harin rushed into the dorm before they could catch him, slamming the door behind him to buy as much time as possible before his inevitable beating. Well, inevitable in Dongju’s mind -- Giwook would probably just let it go.

After setting down the backpack in Harin and Hyungu’s room, Dongju returned to the living room to find Giwook scribbling on paper while Youngjo and Harin hung up the streamers. (Shame. His plot had been foiled.) He joined Giwook at the coffee table, and peeked over his shoulder.

“Pikachu?”

“Who doesn’t like Pikachu?”

“Fair point.”

“Oh, you should draw Pengu,” Harin suggested, taping a streamer to the wall. Giwook raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“It’s like Hyungu! Draw Pengu being all excited or blowing a party horn or something.”

“But Hyungu’s never excited.”

“Exactly.”

It didn’t take long to finish with the streamers, and Youngjo and Harin added a few more drawings into the mix before hanging them all up. Next it was the balloons, which they decided to finish quickly after Youngjo pulled the dumbest pretending-to-be-on-helium prank just so then they wouldn’t have to suffer through anymore of his dad-joke antics.

Giwook perked up.

“Hey, should we check on Myeong and Hyungu?”

“I don’t see why not,” Dongju replied, pulling out his phone. “Actually, Harin, you call them. Dongmyeong might not answer me.”

“I wonder why,” he said with a smile, and started calling them, putting the phone on speaker.

It took a moment before Hyungu answered with the distinct mumbling of food in his mouth. Giwook gawked.

“Myeong! Are you eating without me?”

“Wha- no!” he cried, obviously lying if the smacking of his lips was any indication.

“Myeoooooongie, bring me some food too,” Dongju whined. Dongmyeong scoffed.

“I just said I’m not eating! Besides, you’re getting snacks later anyway!”

“Hey, but a good team member would-”

They hung up before Harin could finish. Dongju and Giwook huffed while Harin quickly dialled again, this time with video like they’d be able to catch Dongmyeong and Hyungu in the act. Sure enough, their cheeks were slightly bulging and sauce lightly stained their lips, and the conversation quickly devolved into chaos, all while Youngjo stood, watched, and laughed over them.

_ 2.3.1 (con’t) _

_ Perception is counteracted by Discernment (covered in section 2.3.3). A Perceiver will know they have encountered a Discerner if they cannot access the contents of the Discerner's mind, and, in the presence of a powerful Discerner, the mind of anyone in a nearby radius. _

The food was done, the cake in the fridge, and Dongmyeong beaten up to an acceptable level -- now all that was left was to wait for Hyungu to pick up Yonghoon from the main hall and come out with party poppers blazing. It was exciting -- it was going to be fun! -- but for whatever reason dread couldn't help but seep into every bone in Dongju's shaking body. Yonghoon was an adult-adult, and they were in all honesty just oversized kids. What if he didn’t like what they’d prepared? What if he thought they were being too immature? What if, God forbid, he was  _ boring _ ?

“Quick, places!” Harin hissed, shoving his phone in his pocket. “They’re coming!”

“Hey- Ju-ah! Get off my back!”

“No.”

“Punk.”

“Guys be quiet,” Giwook said, taking his place beside Dongmyeong behind the couch. Dongmyeong pouted.

“But my personal space...”

“When we’re hiding?”

“Okay for real this time shut up!”

Harin flipped the lights off before scrambling into the kitchen to hide with Youngjo, Seoho, and Geonhak. With a thumbs up, Seoho waved his hand, cloaking the four in invisibility. Dongju glared at Hwanwoong and Keonhee at the other side of the room. Keonhee shrugged.  _ Not my fault I can’t do that yet, _ and with an eye-roll, Dongju turned back to the door.

Voices outside. The lock clicked, the door swung open, and in stepped Hyungu and a rather tall, lanky man.

“Oh, guess everyone’s gone,” Hyungu said flipping on the lights-

“WELCOME!~”

Yonghoon’s scream was lost in the ten voices whooping along to Keonhee’s signature song. His eyes were wide -- he was probably dazed to be honest -- but his surprise wore off and soon he was laughing and whooping along to his own welcoming. “Welcome! Welcome!”

They clapped at the end but the noise wasn’t done as Dongju let out a final cheer with Dongmyeong (expectedly) and Keonhee (also expectedly) and finally Youngjo (unexpectedly) harmonizing along.

“Alright, cut!” Hwanwoong shouted with a swing of his arm, Geonhak and Giwook unplugging their ears while the others laughed along. Out of all of them though, Yonghoon was the loudest. Dongju, and the rest of them, turned to him with varying expressions of joy and worry as they realized he was laughing to keep himself from crying, but it wasn’t working very well if his sniffling had anything to say about it. Youngjo grabbed his hand.

“Hey, hyung, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, it’s fine. It’s just-”

He smiled.

“It’s a lot different than my apartment back in Seoul.”

Yonghoon wiped at his eyes and managed a wispy laugh before looking down at the ground. He might have been the tallest and the oldest out of them, but looking down like that, he suddenly seemed so, so small -- like a kid again. Maybe they weren’t so different after all.

“Hyuuuuung, you’re gonna make me cry,” Dongmyeong whined, rubbing his eyes.

“S-same!” Keonhee hiccupped.

“Ah, I know what’ll make you feel better,” Seoho hummed. The fridge flung open, and with a beckoning gesture, the cake came floating through the air before setting itself down on the table, next to Harin’s special stir-fry. Harin clapped his hands.

“Right, let’s dig in!”

“I honestly wanna punch him.”

“Woah.” Dongju took a step away from Hyungu. “Are you sure these drinks aren’t spiked?”

“Yeah. I’m sure,” Hyungu said, taking a suspiciously long sip from his cup. “Yonghoon’s just- I don’t know how to explain.”

Yonghoon seemed to be getting along with everyone well enough -- Dongmyeong and Giwook were running away from the hugs and kisses he was already dispensing out just an hour after arriving, and soon after that he and Youngjo were caught in a greasy back and forth of compliments much to Hwanwoong’s horror, and whenever someone teased Hwanwoong, they’d find themselves the next target of Yonghoon’s affections. Actually, yeah, he was getting along a little  _ too _ well. He could see why Hyungu wanted to punch him; sometimes he felt the same way with Youngjo. But was there something else?

Hello? Could anyone hear his thoughts? Specifically a Kang Hyungu?

“What’s that look for?”

“You can’t hear me?”

“Yeah,” Hyungu said as he threw his empty cup directly at Keonhee, chuckling as he screamed. “You don’t even know how many problems it’s caused -- the everything being quiet thing. For a sec I didn’t even think he had come.”

“Wait, what?” Dongju narrowed his eyes. Hyungu nodded.

“I didn’t sense his thoughts or anything, waiting for him. Really irritating having my  _ modus operandi _ interrupted, y’know?”

“First off,  _ modus operandi? _ You’re always reading our thoughts?”

“Whether I like it or not, yeah.”

“Reassuring,” Dongju scoffed, “Second, he already has his Gift?”

“Right? You see why I wanna punch him?”

“Apart from his cheesiness, yeah.”

Hyungu smirked, the slightest twitch of his arms flexing his muscles. Welp, good luck to Yonghoon if Hyungu ever followed through.

“Well, as long as he feels at home here,” Hyungu said and shrugged. Dongju smiled as Yonghoon laughed along some joke Seoho just cracked, a joke he was sure would cause him to cringe just as much as Geonhak was right then.

“I’ve a feeling he’ll fit right in.”

_ Records from the Bifrost Dorms _

_ Known Perceivers: _

_ Kanghyun _

_ Ravn _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Updates will be inconsistent honestly :/


End file.
